Housewife Gone Wild

Chapter 24

Wendy made me a nutritious breakfast. I was halfway through my meal when Yvonne came bounding in. “Mom, you’re not going to work today,” she declared. “You have to stay home and play with me.”

I looked at her while spooning my gruel. “From now on, I will be going back to work,” I said. “But we’ll sign you up for some fun classes–you’ll have teachers and classmates to keep you company.”

Yvonne’s face paled at the mention of classes. In an instant, she was pointing at me, her voice rising to a wail. “I don’t want classes. You’re mean. I hate you. I’m telling Grandma.” She turned and ran toward the door to find her grandmother.

“Come back,” I commanded, my voice icy. “Go ahead–try telling on me.”

Yvonne’s face was still wet with crocodile tears. She turned to look at me, her eyes wide–almost like she was seeing me for the first time. And for just a second, I caught a flicker of fear.

her with a cold

a different mother, go ask your father. I won’t stand

quickly. After a pause, she inched closer, clutching my arm. “Mom, I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I won’t talk back again. And I won’t tattle to Grandma. I know you love

hurt to remember how, in my previous life, she’d still been taking Tracy’s

said I deserved the pain, that I was my own worst enemy, dragging everyone

to fix it. All I wanted was to raise a child who might one day look at me with love–maybe even

to offer support rather than impose limitations, to foster happiness instead of hardship,

and 90s, caught between these new ideas and

I’ve got work soon.” Rubbing my temples, I nudged Yvonne toward her pony and went

mirror reflected the marks Jared had left the night before–love bites scattered down my neck and back. Back then, I would’ve covered every

should I? A little passion between spouses was